Suicide Prevention
Inuit suicide rates, especially for young men, are many times higher than the rates for any other Canadians.
Suicide was not common among Inuit in the past and in fact was very rare among young people.
To survive, Elders say, people must have hope and belief that things will get better. They must feel they are loved and cared about. They must have safe opportunities to talk about problems and emotions so that bad feelings do not grow too big. They must have skills to solve conflicts and arguments. They must be willing to face difficulties and take responsibility for making things better. They must have pride and belief in themselves.
These guidelines are helpful in working to prevent suicide but are also useful for shelter workers in dealing with abused women and their children.
Shelters can develop ‘protocols’ for helping shelter workers to know what to do when they believe someone is at risk of committing suicide. A protocol is a list of steps to be taken by shelter staff to reach a certain result, for example, to ensure that someone is safe from suicide.
It is important that shelters work on suicide prevention along with other people and agencies in the community. Suicide-prevention will be more successful if many in the community are involved.
Who do you think should be helping with suicide prevention in your community?
Suicides seldom occur without a warning. People who have previously attempted suicide are especially at risk.